More than a year after Target announced that it had been victim to a massive data breach during the 2013 holiday season, the company is poised to pay $10 million to settle a class-action suit stemming from the incident. [More]
privacy
Health Insurer Premera Blue Cross Latest Hack Victim, 11M Consumers Affected
By 3.17.15
Just a month after tens of millions of consumers’ personal information was breached in the hack of health insurance firm Anthem, another U.S.-based insurance provider says it was the victim of a cyber attack affecting as many as 11 million customers. [More]
Report: Google Error Leaks Hidden Data For 280,000 Domains
By 3.13.15
Usually when we hear that a company has had a bunch of data leaked to the world, hackers are responsible. But in the case of a Google leak involving hidden data for 280,000 domain names, a bug in Google’s system is apparently to blame. [More]
Apple Clarifies Requirements For Medical Research Apps
By 3.12.15
Earlier this week, Apple announced HeathKit, an open-source software framework to help medical researchers use iPhones to gather data for medical research. This raised some concerns about researchers’ plans to share data collected from the apps, as well as consent and privacy. Now Apple has revised their App Store guidelines before the kit launches, but is that enough to keep study participants informed and safe? [More]
FTC Chair Edith Ramirez Talks Privacy, Data Security
By 3.12.15
You may now be able to change your thermostat from another continent, your fridge might know when you need to buy more eggs, and your connected TV recommends shows and movies. But is your data being used for things other than keeping your house warm, your eggs in stock, and your kids entertained — and, just as importantly — is it secure? [More]
The Privacy And Consent Issues With Apple’s New ResearchKit
By 3.11.15
Earlier this week, Apple gave us wrist computers and took away almost all of the ports in its notebook computers, and also announced something that gadget fans may not have expected: a set of apps called ResearchKit designed to help medical researchers collect data from ordinary citizens for their research. Tens of thousands of people have already signed up for studies, which is potentially great for science. Is it good for us, the potential research subjects, though? [More]
Americans Don’t Think Personal Data Is Secure, Still Trade It For Coupons
By 3.10.15
What information are you willing to give up to get a discount or other benefits from a retailer? The consulting company Accenture wanted to know how comfortable we are with all of this, and what information we might be willing to give up for rewards from merchants. Broadly speaking, it depends on what they’re offering. [More]
Wikimedia, Amnesty International, Others Sue NSA Over Mass Surveillance
By 3.10.15
The foundation behind Wikipedia, along with several other high-profile non-profit organizations, has sued the National Security Agency challenging its “suspicionless seizure and searching of internet traffic” in the U.S., claiming that this mass data collection goes beyond what the law allows the NSA to collect and that it violates protections afforded by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. [More]
Lawsuit Claims Toyota, GM & Ford Deceived Consumers About Hackability Of Connected Cars
By 3.10.15
A recently filed class action lawsuit claims that Toyota, Ford and General Motors knowingly put consumers at risk by selling connected cars that can be susceptible to hackers looking to remotely control vehicle functionality. [More]
Lawmakers Want To Know Who’s Tracking You Online, And Where The Info Goes
By 3.6.15
Everything you do online — on your phone, on your computer, with anything — leaves a digital wake. Put those trails together and you’ve got one massive big data industry that can (and does) track it all and sell it to the highest bidder. After decades of digital detritus building up, regulators and Congress both are contemplating some steps that would help protect consumers’ info. [More]
What Is The FREAK Flaw And How Much Should I, Well, Freak Out About It?
By 3.6.15
There are certain websites that you expect to be secure. The NSA’s and FBI’s sites, for example, or any shopping site you enter your credit card information on. They say HTTPS, and they show a lock, so they’re fine, right? Wrong. A team of researchers this week has announced the finding of a flaw they’re calling FREAK. It interferes with that encryption and makes some sites vulnerable — and it’s everywhere. Not just on laptop and desktop computers, but also on mobile phones and tables. Here’s what you need to know. [More]
Report: Stolen Credit Card Information Used By Fraudsters To Make Purchases With Apple Pay
By 3.6.15
A rash in data breaches at national retailers may have led fraudsters to use Apple Pay to make big-ticket purchases with credit card information stolen during national data breaches. [More]
High-End Mandarin Oriental Hotels Confirm Data Breach
By 3.5.15
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group – operators of more than two dozen upscale hotels from Atlanta to Jakarta – confirmed late Wednesday that its properties are the latest victims of a credit card breach. [More]
There’s Another Possible Payment Data Breach At Natural Grocers
By 3.3.15
Apparently, natural foods stores are ready to compete with the big grocery chains. No, not on price–Natural Grocers, a small chain of about 93 stores in 15 states that’s based in Colorado has decided to compete with the big chains by possibly having a payment data breach of its very own. This is not the kind of corporate milestone that a growing chain would celebrate. [More]
Dentist Who Claimed Copyright Over Patient’s Yelp Review Must Pay $4,766 In Damages
By 3.3.15
Way back in 2011, we told you about a dental patient who said his dentist had gone too far with a “privacy agreement” that preempted patients from publicly complaining about the doctor and claimed copyright on patients’ reviews. After nearly four years of legal wrangling, the dentist has finally been ordered to pay the patient nearly $5,000 in damages, though he may never get it. [More]
Who’s Making The Money When Your Smart TV Watches You Back?
By 2.27.15
We’ve heard plenty of times in the past few years that if you have a smart TV — one that’s internet-enabled, for all that app goodness — that it might be watching you just as much as you watch it. Samsung in particular generates a lot of questions about how secure your data is with your TV, as do LG and Vizio. But there’s a missing piece to the equation. If your TV is watching you, why? Who stands to gain (in the sense of cold hard cash) from your data? [More]
Privacy Advocates Call For Investigation Into Samsung Smart TVs
By 2.26.15
Samsung’s Smart TVs have come under scrutiny recently after people learned the company’s privacy policy hinted that things we say within earshot of our televisions may be recorded and uploaded to third-party transcription services. While executives for the company have worked to calm people’s fears, a privacy group is now asked federal regulators to take a look into the matter. [More]
